The present invention generally relates to a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices to allow a first user to share the experience with the media content of the first user with second users. The system and the method may access and/or may transfer electronic program guide information of the first user and/or of the second users, multimedia metadata associated with the media content and/or the media content between a device of the first user and/or devices of the second users. The electronic program guide information and/or the multimedia metadata may relate to, may be associated with and/or may correspond to the experience of the first user and/or of the second users with consuming and/or with viewing the media content. The electronic program guide information and/or the multimedia metadata may be transferred, may be accessible and/or may be published for consuming and/or for viewing by the devices via one or more networks. As a result, the first user and/or the second users may consume, may access, may modify and/or may comment on the experience with consuming and/or with viewing the media content. Moreover, the sending device and/or the receiving devices may access, may view and/or may consume the electronic program guide and/or the multimedia metadata for sharing the experience of the media content in real time or asynchronously.
The devices may establish a connection via one or more networks to publish and/or to indicate a presence and/or an availability to participate in sharing of the experience with the media content via the connection. One of the devices may transfer and/or may publish information relating to and/or corresponding to a digital multimedia file for receiving by, for accessing by and/or for consuming by the devices. The information may relate to and/or may correspond to the digital multimedia files which may have been consumed in the past, may be currently being consumed and/or may be consumable at a future time. As a result, the second users of the devices may share in the experience with the first user. The first user and/or the second users may use a connection between the devices via one or more networks to discuss and/or to share the experience through asynchronous messages and/or a communication channel in real time.
It is generally known for example that an electronic program guide is used to describe media content available for consumption by a user of a digital media device. It is also generally known that rating services for television and/or for radio and/or media published information and/or data associated with consumption of media content is viewed and/or is accessed by consumers prior to consumption of the media content by the consumers. The information includes, for example, a statistical estimate of the number of consumers of a television show and/or a radio program and/or a ranking of music albums or songs by gross sales and/or by radio airplay.
A website tracks and/or records information and/or data associated with consumption behaviors of media content by subscribers of the website. The information is published in an aggregate and/or is used by the website to provide marketing material to one or more of the subscribers. However, the information is not generally made available to the subscribers.
Another website provides, for example, the number of subscribers logged onto the website, the number of subscribers accessing and/or consuming the media content from the website, a playlist of one or more of the subscribers of the website and/or information associated with and/or based on the playlist of one or more of the subscribers.
Furthermore, it is also known that electronic devices communicate and/or transmit an availability or a presence to other electronic devices over a communication network. A capability is commonly provided by an instant messaging (hereinafter “IM”) application and/or a text messaging application to allow users to view, to access and/or to identify whether other users are available to communicate via the IM application and/or the text messaging application. A presence is also used by voice over Internet Protocol (hereinafter “VOIP”) application to provide information based on and/or corresponding to the availability of the users in support of voice communications via the VOIP application.
Of course, consumers of multimedia content are capable of communicating and/or of sharing information and/or data corresponding to and/or associated with the media content via a private communication channel, such as, for example, a conversation, a letter, a telephone call, an electronic mail, an instant message and/or the like. However, the consumers of the media content are unable to publish and/or to transmit the information and/or the data via a connection on a network between two or more electronic devices. Further, the consumers of the media content are unable to identify and/or to determine a presence of a user over a network for accessing, for viewing and/or for consuming the information and/or the data from one of the consumers to determine whether to access, to view and/or to consume the media content. Still further, the connection between the consumers does not allow and/or does not permit the consumers to communicate the information and/or the data of the media content through asynchronous messages and/or a communication channel in real time. Moreover, the connection does not identify and/or publish a playlist and/or information of the playlist of the consumers for determining whether to access, to view and/or to consume the media content in the playlist of the consumers.
A need, therefore, exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices. More specifically, a need exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices to access and/or to transfer electronic program guide information and/or multimedia metadata of the media content with more than one device. Further, a need exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices which may allow users to share, to view, to access and/or to consume information and/or data relating to and/or corresponding to the media content. Still further, a need exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices which may allow users to transfer and/or to publish information and/or data relating to and/or corresponding to the media content between the devices via one or more networks. Moreover, a need exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices to distribute information which may be based on an availability of the devices and/or a presence of the devices on one or more networks. Furthermore, a need exists for a system and a method for sharing an experience with media content between multiple devices which may provide an electronic program guide to the users as the user interface for accessing, for viewing and/or for consuming information and/or data relating to and/or corresponding to the media content.